SP Rides: It’s All About Style
BY MICHAEL KITCHENS
Name: Kyle Kageno
Age: 26
Hobbies: Cars, work, tattoos
Year/Make/Model: 2001 Toyota Corolla S
Color: Tiffany Blue
Engine: Injen intake, custom headers, axelback custom exhaust with truck tip
Exterior: TRD Lip Kit, S Kit
Interior: Corbeau racing seat, Takata harness, S Steering Wheel, bubble shift knob, extended mirror, sticker-bombed, Heart-shaped OH-@#$! handle
Suspension: Fully modified, custom suspension with JDM coilovers
Wheels/Tires: 16-inch DUB RROC Candy Reds with polished machine lips, 16×9 front, 16×10 back. Goldway A320s with 195/45Z 16s
For some in the import scene, stance is everything. It’s been around in one form or another since the first cart was drawn by the first horse. But what separates stance today is the extreme fitment that some enthusiasts absolutely lust over.
Unfortunately, most don’t get it. Some motorsports enthusiasts will absolutely hate it, but there’s no denying that rides rocking extreme fitment are pleasing to the eye. Rolling in on a contact patch at a size no sensible car owner would ever consider translates into one big, fat squat of a stance. And that’s exactly what makes Kyle Kageno drool.
“It’s all about camber and fitment; it’s about the looks,” he said.
A period of discovery was needed on Kageno’s part to get to this point in his enthusiast lifestyle. He started out concentrating on performance-driven style, owning everything from Toyota Celicas to Subaru WRXs. After a brief foray into slammed trucks, he eventually came full circle, although his ride was a bit lower. OK, make that a whole lot lower.
It’s not every day that you see a Toyota Corolla taken to these depths. But Kageno’s 2001 Toyota Corolla S has been drastically dropped, thanks to some serious modification to the suspension that required serious planning. Although the fronts are left with minimal camber adjustments to maintain control, the rears have been taken to an extreme angle. The effect is static — there’s no magical air suspension to offset the look. Rain or shine, this car rides low 24/7, with the rolled fenders and some factory kit to go with it.
Even if you miss the squat, there’s no way you can miss the Tiffany Blue paint job that the entire car is slathered in. It’s like Papa Smurf dropped in to see how low he could go. The effect is blinding especially when you consider that this would normally be a commuter car for the masses. Instead, this ride is all about form over function. Indeed, this is definitely not your garden-variety people carrier.
Contrasted against this are DUB RROC Candy Reds with polished machine lips. These bad boys are fitted at 16×9 in the front and 16×10 in the back. The car rolls on Goldway A320s with 195/45Z 16s, front and back, and just enough contact patch to get down the street.
Interior wise, the car has been sticker-bombed to there and back and features a Corbeau seat with Takata harness. Power adders include an Injen intake and a custom exhaust installed by Exhaust Systems Hawaii, not to mention a few choice interior modifications for extra style.
There’s no denying that this is a unique ride and definitely out of the ordinary. “I think I took what was impossible and made it possible with the help of my friends. I did it for the style,” said Kageno.
Sometimes that’s all you need.
